Are you looking for an unforgettable day trip on the French Riviera? Saint-Tropez, Port Grimaud and Grimaud will give you that and much more. Let me tell you all about our day in these three amazing towns.
After spending a great day on Porquerolles Island the previous day, we woke up early at Hotel Ibis Thalassa in Hyères and, after breakfast, checked out. Breakfast was good and plenty.
We were travelling independently in France with a car as we are confident travellers and speak a bit of the language. However, if you prefer to be part of a tour and to have everything organised for you, I advise you to book a complete tour with Tourradar.
Tourradar has different kinds of tours that will fit your time and budget. If you book it via my links you can get a discount by using this code: RoseG50.
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We took the D98 motorway in the direction of Saint-Tropez. It took us about one hour to get there.
Upon arrival, we looked for a place to park the car and decided to park at a private parking called “Parc des Lices” in the centre of town. We could then explore the town on foot and not worry about parking, which is very difficult in Sant-Tropez.
Below is a map showing the places we visited on that day:
We had visited Sant-Tropez before and had very good memories of it, so we were pleased to be able to go back again.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SAINT-TROPEZ
In ancient times, Saint-Tropez was known as Athenopolis and belonged to the Massilians (Marseille) in 599 BC. Later, it was invaded by the Romans and dominated by them until the fall of the Roman Empire.
From 890 to 972, Saint-Tropez and the surrounding area were dominated by the Arabs for almost a century until it was attacked by William I, Count of Provence in 976.
Throughout the next 600 years, it was under the control of some French families all trying to secure the area.
It was only in the 1950s that Saint-Tropez was brought to fame by the actress Brigit Bardot and the film “And God Created Woman,” which was filmed in the town. From a simple fishermen’s village, the town has been favoured by celebrities and has become one of the most fashionable and chic places in the French Riviera.
A hub for the rich and famous, Saint-Tropez is full of expensive restaurants, luxury boutiques, chic art galleries and everything that can be connected to life’s pleasures and opulence.
VISITING SAINT-TROPEZ
After parking the car, we strolled through the streets of the old town and went in the direction of the harbour.
We started at “Manège Capitainerie Saint-Tropez” at the corner of the harbour. From there, we walked alongside the port, looking at all the fabulous yachts anchored at the port. Around the port, there are lots of chic restaurants and cafés and many artists showcasing their artwork as well.
We strolled all around the port until we arrived at “Banc des Mesonges”. It is a viewpoint that is accessed by a set of stairs and provides stunning views of the coastal scenery.
We took various photos of the port from there and continued in the direction of the beach passing between the “Tour du Portalet” and another building connected by a timber bridge.
In there, you will find a path that leads to “Plage de la Glaye”. It is a very small beach, surrounded by buildings but very picturesque. We followed on until we arrived at “Plage de La Ponche, another small, but very attractive beach.
Continuing our walk, we arrived at the “Cimetière Marin de Saint-Tropez”. Lovely place to be put at rest, facing that beautiful sea. At that point we had to decide if we wanted to continue and climb to the top of the hill to visit the “Citadelle” or if we wanted to continue via the streets of the old town and to the next town.
The” Citadelle” was a defensive fort/tower commissioned by Henry IV to protect the Provençal coast in the 16th century. Nowadays, it houses the Museum of Maritime History, which tells the history and provides information about the Tropezian history, the sailors and all connections with the sea.
It was a very hot day, and we didn’t fancy climbing the hill, so we opted to explore a bit more of the town centre and leave for Port Grimaud afterwards.
However, Saint-Tropez is a vibrant town, and if you can stay longer, you will enjoy it even more. As we were just passing, for us, it was only a few hours before we headed to Port Grimaud.
If you are based in Nice, Cannes or VilleFranche-sur-Mer, you can take a full day tour of Saint-Tropez and Port-Grimaud in a small group. Book this tour HERE.
EXPLORING PORT GRIMAUD
It is only about 15 minutes to drive from Sanit-Tropez to Port Grimaud. Upon arrival, we parked at “Parking Port Grimaud” and explored the town on foot. No cars are allowed in the town, and only electric boats navigate the canals.
Port Grimaud is part of Grimaud town and was created by the architect François Spoerry in the 1960s. It was built with canals like in Venice, but the architecture of the houses on these canals are fisherman-style houses like in Saint-Tropez. The town is nicknamed “The Venice of Provence”. It is a charming town populated with pastel colours fisherman’s houses, beautiful bridges and canals.
We stayed for a week in Port Grimaud when our kids were small. We rented a villa with a swimming pool and private mooring. It was a calm and lovely holiday visiting all the towns in the area but based ourselves in Port Grimaud.
Since then, I have wanted to go back, and this time, we have. However, we didn’t have much time, just a couple of hours to remind ourselves of our lovely holiday there.
Port Grimaud is small, and there are not many things to do in Port Grimaud. The town is ideal for relaxing, going to the beach and enjoy the restaurants and shops by the canals.
We crossed the bridge and entered town via the main gate, walking down on Place du Marché all the way to the church, “Église Saint-François d’Assisse”. We looked at the church and took various photos.
There are public toilets there, and we took the opportunity to use them.
As it was lunchtime and we were hungry, we stopped at Café Fringale on the corner of the bridge on Place de l’Église. We had a lovely lunch there, facing the canal and the boats.
After lunch, we walked back to Rue des Artisans and had an ice cream while looking around a bit more. After that, we took the car and drove to Grimaud, which is about 12 minutes by car.
If you are based in Port Grimaud, you can take a guided tour of Port Grimaud and Grimaud by train and learn about the medieval history of the area and see the castle in Grimaud. Book this tour HERE.
GRIMAUD: A CHARMING MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
The town of Grimaud is perched on the hills and has historical links to the Grimaldi family from the Principality of Monaco.
Besides being a charming medieval village with typical narrow streets and beautiful houses, Grimaud is also home to an 11th-century castle that has been partially restored and is open for visitation to the public.
The best place to park is in the village, and then explore the old town and its winding streets on foot. That is what we did. After parking, we climbed to the Old Town and visited the castle at the top. We passed lovely houses all covered in bougainvillaea and oleanders.
We explored the ruins of the castle and admired the nice views of the countryside, the Windmill of Saint-Roch and the village below. Grimaud is a lovely little town, and it is worth visiting if you are in the area.
If you have more time in Grimaud than we did, take this horse back riding + wine tasting tour in the Maures Forest. It will explore the vineyards of Grimaud and Maures Forest on horseback. It seems a lovely way of exploring the area. Book this tour HERE.
It was already almost 5 pm, and we needed to drive to Cannes, where we would be staying for the next three nights. So, after visiting Grimaud Castle and the Medieval town we walked back to the car and drove to Cannes.
Below is a reel from The Travelling Surveyor Instagram account with more photos of the day. Check it out and follow me on Instagram as well.
It took us about one and a half hours to get to Cannes. We booked a room in a guest house in the La Bocca neighbourhood. It was called Villa Prétorina and had a garage where we could park the car.
It was a lovely villa; the room was modern and clean and had another room adjoining it. We didn’t need it, but it was nice to have that extra space to leave our suitcases and use it as a dressing room.
They also had a beautiful garden full of trees and plants, an outside area with sofas, and a breakfast area in the garden.
Our room had windows to the garden, and we were warned to keep the windows closed to avoid mosquitoes entering the room. We experienced the power of the mosquitoes on the first night and kept the windows closed after that.
On the first evening, we had a booking at a restaurant called L’Assiette Provençale on Quai Saint-Pierre in the Old Port. We left the car in the garage and took the bus to get there as we wanted to drink and wouldn’t be able to drive afterwards.
The bus stop was a short walk from the villa and just in front of Place du Marché and Marché de La Bocca. We took bus no. 1, but bus number 2 and others also go to the centre of Cannes and the Old Port.
The restaurant turned out to be really nice. We sat on a table outside so we could see all the movement at the Quai. The food was also very good as well as the wine we ordered. We had a lovely dinner and evening and took bus 1 back to the villa afterwards.
We decided that the next day, we would drive to Monaco and leave to explore Cannes on the following day. So, bear with me for the next post about Monaco.
I hope this post will give you some idea of what can be done in a day in Saint-Tropez, Port Grimaud and Grimaud and will help you plan your own visit there.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP
Below you will find a list of what to visit, where to stay and where to eat in Saint-Tropez, Port Grimaud and Grimaud. I classified each place as follows:
BOLD – Visited, tried and recommended
NOT BOLD – Not visited or tried, but planning to visit or try and heard very good reviews
RED – Visited and tried but do not recommend, avoid or be cautious
*** – Excellent
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** – Good
* – OK
£££ – Expensive
££ – Fair and affordable
£ – Cheap
PLEASE NOTE: Every hotel, restaurants and attractions I mention on my blogs are not sponsored reviews and we always paid the full price when visiting. We give our own opinion of the place and detail our experience, good or bad.
WHAT TO SEE IN SAINT-TROPEZ AND AROUND
ATTRACTIONS
1 – Saint-Tropez Old Port – ***
2 – Banc des Mesonges – ***
3 – Pour du Portalet – ***
4 – Plage de la Gaye – ***
5 – Plage de L Ponche – ***
6 – Cimetière Marin de Saint-Tropez – ***
7 – Citadelle
8 – Walk around the canal of Port Grimaud – ***
9 – Église Saint-François d’Assisse – Port Grimaud – ***
10 – Grimaud Old Town – ***
11 – Grimaud Castle – ***
WHERE TO STAY
ACCOMMODATION
1 – Le Yaca Saint-Tropez – 5* – £££
2 – Le Lauriers – Saint-Tropez – 3* – ££
3 – Le Suffren Hôtel – 4* – £££
4 – Holiday Home Maison Pêcheur – 3* – £££
5 – Logement neuf centre du village aux pieds du chateau – 3* – ££
6 – Apartment Les Terrasses de Grimaud – 4* – ££
If you prefer to look for your own accommodation, search and book via the below widget:
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WHERE TO EAT
RESTAURANTS
1 – Maison Revka Saint-Tropez – ££ – Saint-Tropez
2 – La Vague d’Or – £££ – Saint-Tropez
3 – Café Fringale – ££ – Port Grimaud
4 – Don Pepe Restaurant & Pizzeria – ££ – Port Grimaud
5 – Petit Jacques – ££ – Grimaud
6 – La Bastide Blanche – £££ – Grimaud
If you tried any of my recommendations above, please send me a message and tell me about your experience good or bad, so I can update the list accordingly. Thanks!
If you enjoyed reading this post you might also like to read:
On this trip to France:
1 – Lyon – Day 1
2 – Lyon – Day 2
6 – Saint-Tropez/PortGrimaud/Grimaud
7 – Monaco – Coming Soon
8 – Cannes – Coming Soon
9 – Aix-en-Provence – Coming Soon
10 – Arles – Coming Soon
11 – Camargue – Coming Soon
12 – Avignon – Coming Soon
13 – Dijon – Coming Soon
14 – Fontainebleau – Coming Soon
15 – Paris – Day 1 – Coming Soon
16 – Paris – Day 2 – Coming Soon
17 – Paris – Day 3 – Coming Soon
USEFUL SITES
1 – www.sainttropeztourisme.com
2 – Visit Grimaud
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